The One Where Dio and Luna Go Rollerskating
by 94 Bottles Of Snapple
Summary: Luna's set up a fundraiser for a family who lost their house in a fire. Dio is definitely NOT going.


**A/N: Ok, wow, this is a really old story, so... It's pretty dopey and cheesy, just warning you But I promised to post it, so here it is. In honor of kiichu's birthday!**

* * *

"Oh, please, Dio! You have to come! It's for a good cause!"

She was trying to get him to agree to go to some _stupid_ rollerskating fundraiser the community was setting up to help out victims of a recent house fire. He would have informed her that he did not give a _single flying fuck_ if it was for a good cause, but it was Luna and she had said please and she was tugging gently on his hand as if he were the most important person in the world.

"Yeah, fine, alright," he muttered, wanting to tug his hand away but finding he didn't have the emotional fortitude to.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the redhead cheered, leaping into Dio's arms.

It took her about five seconds to realize what she'd done and be suitably embarrassed. Clearing her throat and brushing at some nonexistent dirt on her skirt, Luna put some distance between the two of them. Dio was still red-faced and trying to remember how one was supposed to breathe again as Luna dashed off across campus to ask more people to come to the fundraiser at the rundown Ace Rink next to the mall. Tugging at the collar of his shirt, Dio tried to convince himself that Luna's hug wasn't anything special. She was a cheerful, friendly girl, she'd probably hugged a lot of other people who agreed to go to the fundraiser. Probably.

* * *

Luna was able to get a ride to the Ace Rink immediately after her last class to set up. She didn't have a car of her own and was uncomfortable driving anyway, so she spent five minutes standing in the parking lot thanking Sigma Klim for driving her over.

"R-really, Luna, it was nothing," he told her, going pink.

Though he had the build of a football player, Sigma was something of a loner – not involved in any sports or extracurriculars. He was friendly, though, and went to all the parties the fraternities and sororities hosted. She wasn't sure what else he did in his free time, but he did occasionally come visit the strays at the animal shelter Luna worked at. Sometimes, Sigma did say things that made Luna feel a little uncomfortable, but Phi was usually around to keep him in line. A lot of people speculated they were going steady. Luna wasn't sure, but it seemed to her that Sigma and Phi didn't like to label things, and she thought that was sort of admirable. They were unapologetic, knew what business was theirs alone, and made no secret of how totally unafraid they were of the opinions of others.

"Anyway, I've gotta go. Phi needs the car for work. Sorry I can't help set up, but I promise we'll both be at the fundraiser, alright?" Sigma said finally, jangling his car keys.

"Y-yes, of course! I'll see you then!" Luna called after him.

She turned to her decorations with a little smile, and began setting up.

* * *

Dio told himself about twenty times that he wasn't going to go to the fundraiser. He'd promised Luna, but somehow had completely lost his nerve. And it wasn't like he wanted to be there anyway. But, at 5:03 precisely, he found himself standing outside the dumpy concrete exterior of the local Ace Rink, which had been lovingly falling apart since before anyone in town could remember. He stood out in the parking lot next to his junky red Ford Taurus for twelve minutes like he was waiting for a sign from God. It didn't come. With a groan, Dio tugged open the driver's door of his car. He was going home.

But then suddenly a redheaded angel in an ankle-length skirt rushed out of the doors like she was opening the gates of heaven for him, and Dio felt himself closing the car door again.

"Dio! You made it! I'm so glad!" Luna exclaimed, stopping just short of him and lacing her fingers together excitedly.

"Uh… Y-yeah, I guess I did," he muttered in response.

"Well, come on in! We've just started!"

With a sweet smile, Luna ushered Dio inside. He shelled out the seven bucks to get into the skating rink in a complete daze. Luna guided him over to the counter where they fitted skates, and with an odd sinking feeling, Dio realized he had never rollerskated even once in his goddamn life.

"Uh, Luna—"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Dio! I still have to greet people for the next ten minutes or so! You go ahead and skate without me, ok?"

She rushed off, leaving him speechless and at the mercy of the unimpressed scruffy-faced part-timer behind the counter.

* * *

"Um, thank you everyone, for coming here today!" Luna said happily, standing at the front of the crowd, her back pressed against the outer wall of the rink to make room for them all. "I know that the Kurashiki family is as happy and touched at the turnout as I am. I'm sure you're all really busy, with summer approaching, and it—it means a lot to me that we've all been able to come together as a community like this."

She had personally paid for the tickets for the three people of the family that had lost their house - the Kurashikis. They were good friends of hers, though she had seen them very rarely in the past several months – busy with work and classes. She wanted them all to be at the fundraiser to feel the community's support, to meet her friends, and she knew that their boy Quark would appreciate a night out, even if it was to a run-down little skating rink. Luna's blue eyes roamed the crowd, finding the eyes of her classmates at college, the other workers from the animal shelter. Even the librarians from the public library tucked into the downtown shopping district. Everyone she knew in town. There were a lot of faces Luna didn't know too, and that made her tear up a little in happiness. Sigma gave her a little thumbs up from where he and Phi were nestled in a rickety booth at the back of the crowd, and Luna cleared her throat.

"A-anyway, Ace Rink has generously agreed to donate a portion of tonight's earnings to the Kurashiki family, in addition to the money from the auction we'll be holding in two hours. For now, though, let's all skate together. Thank you."

Luna bowed and stepped out of the limelight, wiping her eyes.

* * *

He procrastinated on actually skating, even after he'd gotten the proper size of skates. And that was well and good, since it appeared Luna had a speech to make. Once she was done she walked off to talk to the middle-aged Kurashiki couple, who were standing alone in their corner after bustling off their little rugrat towards the rink, and everyone else scattered. It looked like it would be a while before she was done.

With a sigh that told whoever cared to listen that he was regretting every second of his decision to come to this fundraiser at Luna's behest, Dio laced up his skates and stumbled out into the rink. He tried to go all in and head to the center, but after tripping and falling on his ass three or four times, the blond had to admit defeat and practically crawl over to the outer wall.

"Fuckin' skating…" he grumbled to himself.

"Having trouble?" Phi snarked cheerfully as she passed him, arm in arm with Sigma.

Dio snarled something incoherent - halfway between a cuss and a more creative insult - at them, and took some satisfaction in noticing that Sigma was leaning heavily on Phi for balance as they skated. Good. Let his big, stupid arms overbalance him.

Ten minutes later, Luna sailed out into the rink in a pair of cute little purple in-line rollerblades. It only took her a few seconds to find Dio, who was clinging desperately to the wall and being passed by elementary school kids a quarter of his age as he wobbled on the skates he'd been provided.

"Oh, Dio! Are you alright…?" Luna asked gently as she approached.

"'M f-fine," the blond huffed, face jumping rapidly between red and white.

"Um… Dio…"

The redhead offered her hands gently with a shy smile.

Dio felt his heart thud to a stop. With a kind of caution he didn't know he had, he placed his hands in hers. Despite how slim Luna was and how soft her palms were, the redhead's grip was strong and reassuring as she led him around the rink, skating backwards without a worry in the world.

"There, see? You can do it," Luna encouraged sweetly, blue eyes sparkling.

"Good on you, ace," laughed a musical voice from behind him. "You've upgraded from the wall! You're a big boy now!"

Dio glared at Alice as she flew past with a smug wave, even going so far as to turn and skate backwards just to smirk at him. However, his anger shattered his concentration, and Dio tripped over a little rut in the rink and brought Luna down with him. Or, more accurately, he toppled directly into her.

* * *

All at once, Luna found herself braced on her elbows on the floor, looking up into Dio's very teal eyes. His legs, which had buckled wide when he tripped, were situated on either side of her hips. Luna's blood was pounding in her ears, and she thought for a brief, dreamy second, that her face must have matched her hair. Dio licked his lips, looking utterly baffled at the situation he found himself in, and Luna's eyes went wide.

"U-um, Dio…" she choked out at last.

"Y-yeah…?" Dio breathed, looking at her in a particularly dazzled way, like he was staring into the heart of a star.

"W-we're in the middle of the rink…" the redhead explained, realizing belatedly that she still had ahold of his hands.

"Oh… Right…"

There was a long silence, punctuated by the rolling skid of the other skaters as they circled the rink.

"Um… Dio…" Luna continued, when Dio made no move to correct the situation.

"Yeah…?"

"We… We should get up now…" Luna suggested with a little nod.

Dio blinked sharply at that and seemed to drag himself out of whatever reverie he was in.

"Y-yeah, 'course, ok," he stammered, stumbling to his feet and immediately wheeling backwards, about to hit the floor again.

Luna lunged forward to help steady him, and managed to do so by wrapping her arms around his knees and locking them in place. Once he was steady, she pulled back a little and looked up at him with a high, silly little laugh.

"Alright…?"

"F-fine," he asserted.

Continuing to laugh nervously, Luna stood again.

"W-well, I think we're ok now. Want to keep skating?"

* * *

Dio found himself saying yes. He did want to keep skating with Luna. And, after half an hour of gentle coaching, Dio was able to skate away from the wall even without Luna's guiding hands. Her exclamations of joy at his success made him both blush and preen. Maybe it was a stupid thing to feel proud of, but Luna got so excited about it that he couldn't help but grin.

At last, worn out, the two of them hobbled over to the seating area and sat across from each other in a booth.

"You did great out there," Luna praised. "How about I buy you a milkshake?"

"I should be saying that to you," Dio said at last, tapping his fingers on the plastic table. "I, uh… I overheard just how much you did to set this… Thing… Up."

"No, it was nothing," Luna disagreed, shaking her head. "The Kurashikis are good friends of mine, and their boy Quark is so sweet, I… I had to do something."

Dio squinted a little as he looked at her. Somehow, it felt like maybe he was just seeing her for the very first time.

"You're a really good person," the blond said quietly.

"N-no, I really…"

"But you are. How do you do that…?"

Luna laughed, but to Dio it was a serious question. She was so honest in her goodness. She wasn't doing it for status, for brownie points. She loved people, truly. It shone out of her like light, through her bright blue eyes and her soft red hair and her freckled cheeks. How was it even possible for one person to have that much honest good will?

Dio hadn't even realized how close their faces were until Luna tried to stammer out his name and their noses brushed. The blond chuckled, cupping Luna's round cheeks in his hands. She blushed delicately, in a way that made Dio feel suddenly flustered and shy.

"M-may I…?" his mouth went dry before he could finish his request, but she nodded anyway.

He was almost, absurdly, afraid that he would break the moment in two. Swallowing hard, Dio pressed their lips together in a soft kiss.

* * *

Luna pulled away hurriedly when she heard an artificial camera shutter noise, and looked up to see Clover Field tucking a smartphone into her purse.

"Sorry," the pink-haired girl shrugged. "It was cute. And no one would ever believe me."

Luna could almost feel the air temperature rise as Dio glared, but she distracted his attention from Clover by squeezing his hand gently. Clover, in the meantime, flounced off to go skate with Alice to "All the Single Ladies".

"Dio…" Luna started shyly. "I um. It really did mean a lot to me that you showed up."

"It's the least I could do. I did promise," Dio pointed out, running his thumb over the back of her hand. "Look, Luna, I— … I'm not a nice guy. But…"

He wasn't sure what else to even say. There really wasn't a 'but'. He wasn't a nice guy. He wasn't a good person, anyone knew that. He didn't have friends, he was rude as hell, he—

"Yes you are."

Dio jerked his head up, meeting Luna's eyes in utter confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"You are a nice person, Dio. You just don't think you are," Luna explained with a shrug. "I… I saw you save that kitten from the rain. And, um… I know you paid for Diana's lunch that day when she forgot her ID and didn't have any money. And you donated a box of canned goods to the food drive at the library, even though you said you'd just bought too much anyway. You always brush it off when you do nice things, but you... You're a good person, you know."

Dio felt his ears tingling with heat.

"H-how did you know about all that…?" he asked, chest tight with embarrassment and the slightest twinge of euphoria.

"People tell me things," the redhead answered enigmatically with a little smile. "So please… Let me buy you a milkshake, ok?"

Dio nodded slowly, fixing his teal eyes on the tabletop. Luna squeezed his hand again, and then left to head to the snack counter. As soon as she did, someone else slid into the booth in her place. Dio looked up slowly to see the Kurashiki couple looking back at him.

"You probably don't know us," the woman said with a serenity that unbalanced Dio a little. "I'm Akane Kurashiki and this is my husband Junpei. Luna is a very good friend of ours."

"Well, she did set this whole thing up to help you guys out, right?" Dio asked, leaning back from the table, uncomfortable and unsure what exactly was going on.

"She did," Junpei answered with a nod that highlighted the barest streaks of gray in his brown hair. "She's a very sweet, thoughtful young woman. And she talks about you a lot. We thought we ought to meet you ourselves."

Dio wondered what Luna had said about him. He didn't worry, per se, but…

"She likes you a lot," Akane said bluntly. "And you like her."

He didn't quite like the way she stated it as fact, even if it was. Dio dodged the couple's perceptive glances by looking out over the skating rink. Quark was right in the middle, skating with some other kids his age. Something raw flickered up Dio's throat and over his gaze, but he forced it down. Fumbling a bit, the blond pulled out his wallet and tugged a twenty from it.

"Hey. … You get that kid something to play with. A baseball. Something. You got a lot of adult stuff to pay for, but he should have something of his own," he said gruffly, sliding the bill over to the Kurashikis.

Akane studied his face, he could feel it even though he kept looking out over the rink.

"Thank you," Junpei said at last, softly.

He and Akane vacated the booth just as Luna returned. They smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder before heading to the wall to watch their son, holding hands. Luna pushed a milkshake across the tale to Dio. He grinned at her a little, but the look dropped when he realized she didn't have one of her own.

* * *

At Dio's accusing stare, Luna smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

"I'm, um… 'Cleaned out' for the day. Please drink it, though."

At her prompting, Dio took a sip of the milkshake from the straw. After a few seconds, he smirked and slid the milkshake over to her side, waving at her to take a drink too. Luna felt her cheeks pink up, and managed a weak smile. She was glad she was sitting, because there was something charming about his smirk, something playful and even cute – although she was sure 'cute' was the last way he wanted to be described. When Dio nodded, Luna finally took a sip of her own from the milkshake. It was cool and sweet, even more so when she thought about the fact that she was sharing it with someone. Afterwards, she pushed the shake back over to Dio's side of the table.

They passed it back and forth until it was gone, sharing silly smiles.

* * *

Dio stayed at the skating rink long after most everyone else had left with the donated auction prizes. He helped Luna clean up the decorations and hand over the money to the Kurashikis. They offered to drive Luna home, but Dio intervened.

"I… I've got her," he told them.

"I'm sure you do—" Junpei got out before his wife elbowed him in the side.

Finally, everything was packed away and Dio was alone with Luna in the parking lot, back by his crappy red car and not sure exactly how he'd gotten there. He pulled open the passenger door for her, and then slipped into the driver's seat.

"Where to?" he asked.

* * *

Luna gave Dio the directions to her apartment, and spent the ride watching him quietly. The way his brow furrowed when he tried to read the street signs. The slight curl at the edges of his lips when he hit a string of green lights. And finally, when he pulled over and parked on the side of the road next to her building, the way his eyes melted when he looked at her.

"Thank you, Dio."

* * *

"Anytime."

They both exited the car, and he walked her to the door even though he'd always felt like that was the sort of corny thing that only happened in crap romance movies. He leaned down and kissed her quickly, just because he didn't want her to leave.

* * *

Luna hugged Dio close after he pulled away, resting her head just so in order to listen to the beat of his heart. She wondered if she would wake up in the morning and realize that it had all been a dream. That Dio had skipped the fundraiser. It was an airy, ridiculous thought, but it still made something in Luna's chest clamp down over her ribs and squeeze painfully. She wanted to hold on to this moment.

"Dio, will…"

Will you still want to talk to me in the morning? Will we spend time like this again? Will you go on a date with me? But somehow she couldn't say more.

* * *

"Would you go out to lunch with me tomorrow?" he whispered into her hair, afraid for no reason that he could discern.

"Yes. Yes, of course…!"

The two of them laughed together softly in the moonlight. Dio kissed Luna one more time before they parted, her to her apartment and him to his car.

'Tomorrow?' Luna mouthed from the doorway.

'Tomorrow,' Dio answered, flashing her a smile.

* * *

He drove away with his heart thumping in his chest like a reminder that he was, gloriously, alive.

* * *

She watched him from the window of the apartment, a smile on her face and a hand over her racing heart.


End file.
